


Life Marches On, But Not For Me

by yellow_sunrise



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Iris Is A Good Person, Savitar Is A Tragic Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 13:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14165883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_sunrise/pseuds/yellow_sunrise
Summary: Iris gets to have a short conversation with Savitar.





	Life Marches On, But Not For Me

**Author's Note:**

> So I got to thinking about Savitar today and this piece was born. It just satisfies my feelings for Savitar not getting closure and Iris not getting a chance to even speak to him really. Anyway, read it and let me know what you think.

It was a series of coincidence and sheer dumb luck. Savitar couldn’t really comprehend why he was suddenly in power dampening cuffs and Iris wasn’t going to explain. One second he’d been utterly distracted, talking about love and hate, and the next he was cutting himself off so that he could glare at Iris with so much anger that if he’d had a different face she might have cowered. But she knew that face, knew the man that was buried beneath that anger and that anguish. She was going to talk to him, alone.

“Barry I need the room,” she said, turning to him. He looked so disbelieving that she had to smile. This whole situation was ridiculous and scary but dammit if that wasn’t just their lives these days.

“What? Iris no, why--”

“It’s okay. I want to talk to him alone. And I’m safe,” she told him. It was a relief to say that. _I’m safe. ___

__Savitar was still dangerous and Killer Frost was still out there but at the moment, everything was okay. Barry left, his hand brushing her waist protectively, but he did and she adored him for trusting her with her own safety, after spending months looming over her, remindin her that she could die in may, even if it was unintentional._ _

__When he was gone she turned to Savitar, allowing him to speak first._ _

__He didn’t disappoint._ _

__“So. You’ve got me. I hope you don’t plan on locking me up. It’ll be a waste of a cell, what with me disappearing from existence and all.” he said bitterly._ _

__Iris bit her lip and stepped closer._ _

__“I don’t. I meant it when we said we’re going to help you. But I don’t want you running around here, especially when you look so angry,” she said seriously. And that was the crux of it all. If he was like her Barry he tended to do things that were dangerous when he was angry. Her Barry didn’t set out to hurt people, but Savitar had spent months harassing and torturing team Flash, taunting them, all with the end goal to kill her._ _

__“You don’t trust me? Don’t trust this face? Does it scare you Iris?” he asked tauntingly, his voice unnerving her. He sounded so familiar to her, but he wasn’t. She couldn’t imagine not recognizing every Barry out there, in the infinite earths and times. There shouldn’t be a Barry without and Iris. But there was._ _

__“Yes. It scares me that this is who you are, because of what was going to happen to me tonight. Barry told me what you said. About everyone shunning you. And I feel so sorry for you,” she said honestly._ _

__“Don’t you pity me. Don’t you dare,” he snarled, stepping forward threateningly. He stood over her, like some creeping shadow, and a jolt of fear went down her spine, but she tamed it._ _

__“Barry--”_ _

__“That’s not my name,” he whispered dangerously, stepping even closer, the cuffs brushing against her stomach._ _

__“Your name isn’t Savitar. You were Barry Allen once. And you’re _here. _You’re here with _me, _” she said her eyes tearing up and she looked away before looking back at him. “You’re with me and you don’t need to be angry anymore.” she told him, brushing away her tears. She didn’t want to cry for Savitar. He tried to kill her, and she hated him. She’d hated him when he attacked Barry at the start, after what he did to Wally, Jesse, and she hated him still when Barry told her who he was. But looking at him, seeing his face it was so hard to hate him. Especially when she saw just how sad he really was. How broken he was._____ _

______She hadn’t believe Barry when he said he and Savitar were alike, but he was right and that was the real tragedy. Savitar was Barry, just Barry with endless tragedy and rejection._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You think you can bat your eyelashes at me, and you’ll _fix me _? That I’ll just be good? Be satisfied while I watch you prance around, loving him _when I need you _?” he screamed the last part. She gaped at him, unsure how to respond. He realized what he said and she almost expected him to hit her but he gripped her shirt and yanked her so close that she saw the way his pupils expanded._____ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You need me?” she asked, her vioce small and quiet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“How do you think I got this way? After you died I was broken, Iris and then he made me an us. And we all died except me. And they all turned their backs on me but I was still hurting.” he whispered, his forehead pressing to hers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I know, I know. I’m so sorry,” she said, reaching up to stroke is face, her hands shaking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“They left me and I needed them. I needed you,” he gasped out, his eyes wild with grief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“They shouldn’t have done that, they should have been there for you,” she said, believing it. But she didn’t say anymore. His scarred half felt rough and awful against her hand, but she didn’t stop. If she had died, this would be Barry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You should hate me. I want you to hate me. I killed you,” he whispered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You didn’t. Not this time. This time I lived. And you’re not going to be Savitar,” she said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I already am. I don’t remember how to be Barry anymore. I can’t be your Barry.” he said, stepping away from her hands. Her hands fell away, hovering in the air between them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You don’t have to be. You can be you.” she told him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He wasn’t her Barry but he was _hers _now. Even if she couldn't keep him, couldn't make him happy.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He shook his head with a incredulous laugh and looked away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You don’t believe that. You can’t save me. They can’t save me. They’re idiots. I need Cisco and Killer Frost to live and there's no way everyone out there will just let them.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Then do it without hurting them. Where are they?” she asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Safe where they are. Frost won’t hurt Cisco unless I tell her too. She thinks she needs me to control her powers,” he boasted, his vulnerability disappearing behind his false confidence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“But she doesn’t. I’ve seen her use them and she can control them, she just doesn’t think so. And you’re preying on her fears. So what are you doing to Cisco?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I haven’t told him yet. But don’t you worry about it. You wouldn’t even understand.” he told her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Probably not. Cisco’s the mechanical genius. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s you.” she said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You don’t know me anymore Iris.” he said looking away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“But I could. I’m willing to know you. Just please, don’t hurt anyone else. Let us keep you alive,” she pleaded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She couldn’t explain why she wanted to keep him alive so bad, why she wanted him to get out of this okay._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He paused and he smiled at her, sadly. He looked so much like her Barry that she started crying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Don’t cry Iris. If you live then that means things are better. But I still hate you,” he said. She wasn’t sure if he was joking but she returned the sentiment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I hate you too. You’re a killer and you ruined my engagement.” she told him. He laughed and nodded, as if he understood some puzzle he'd been looking at for hours._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Get me out of these cuffs, Iris. Because we both know I have to die. So let me at least try to die on my terms,” he said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Are you going to try to kill me?” she asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“No. But I can’t say the same for Barry,” he told her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“If you try to hurt him I’ll kill you. I don’t care how sad I am for you. I don’t care how much you’ve suffered. If you hurt him, I’ll kill you,” she told him, her face cold for the first time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Fine. I’ll achieve my goals some other way. I promise,” he lied. He was lying and she knew he didn’t think she could tell but she could._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She knew him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She took off the cuffs and he disappeared. She left the room and embraced Barry, fighting tears._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Iris, what’s wrong, where’s Savitar?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Gone. He’s gone. Barry I tried to talk to him but he’s gone,” she said. Before anyone could even ask what had happened an alarm went off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As Barry rushed her out of S.T.A.R. Labs, she knew that one way or another, Savitar would die tonight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> And then the story continues exactly as it does in that episode.


End file.
